Multiverse (Blog Review 1)

The Sky is Falling and Other Fables, Amy Friend.

Magic and Rabbits, Amy Friend.

When photography first began as a practice, the glitches and glints that appeared on photos after development came to be interpreted as signals from alternate dimensions. The reflections of light seemed to objectively prove the existence of parallel realms. Canadian photographer Amy Friend incorporates this idea in her contemporary series Multi-verse, which combines archival photos with that of her own. The resulting candids with piercing shards of light highlight the dimensions of stories that may be told within the photographs. Friend attempts to reinvigorate photos which hold undercurrents of political and social turbulence, bringing out the darkness of global destruction which exists not only in the past, but seems to repeat throughout the universe.

Break on Through to the Other Side, Amy Friend.

Is Anything Real? Amy Friend.

This body of work drew in my attention as I study the American Gothic in literature and film at Rollins College, and see the proliferation of witchcraft and cosmology in popular culture today. The type of ethereal romanticism is not only appealing, but fascinates me in terms of cultural values. Friend's use of historical attitudes to connect the past and present of human perspective creates layers of thought-provoking themes and emotions. I think that the use of appropriated photography effectively bends reality to tell multiple stories, and I appreciate Friend's innovation to explore a broken world.

Link to the story on LensCulture: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/amy-friend-multi-verse#slideshow